St. Petersburg Background Check
Background check records for St. Petersburg go through the Pinellas County Clerk of Court. St. Petersburg is the largest city in Pinellas County with about 267,000 residents. The county seat is actually in Clearwater, so the main clerk office and courthouse are located there rather than in St. Petersburg itself. All criminal cases, civil filings, and public records for St. Petersburg are filed and stored at the Pinellas County Clerk's office. You can search the clerk's records online for free and use FDLE for broader state-level searches.
St. Petersburg Quick Facts
Which County Handles St. Petersburg Records
St. Petersburg sits in Pinellas County. The Pinellas County Clerk of Court, Ken Burke, manages all court records for the city. Even though St. Petersburg is the bigger city, the county seat is Clearwater. So the main clerk office is at the Pinellas County Justice Center in Clearwater. All background check records for St. Petersburg are filed there.
Pinellas County is one of the most densely populated counties in Florida. Over 20 cities share the same clerk system. When you search for background check records on someone in St. Petersburg, you are searching the entire Pinellas County database. That covers Clearwater, Largo, Dunedin, and every other city in the county. See the Pinellas County background check page for a broader look at county resources.
| Clerk | Ken Burke |
|---|---|
| Address | 315 Court St, Rm 400, Clearwater, FL 33756 |
| Phone | (727) 464-3341 |
| Hours | Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM |
| Website | mypinellasclerk.gov |
Note: The clerk's office is in Clearwater, not St. Petersburg. If you plan to visit in person, drive to the Pinellas County Justice Center in Clearwater.
St. Petersburg City Records
The City of St. Petersburg has its own government offices and municipal records. Code enforcement, city permits, and other administrative actions are handled by the city. Court records and criminal history are separate and managed by the county clerk.
The city website at stpete.org has information about city services and records requests.
St. Petersburg Police Department handles law enforcement in the city. They have their own arrest and incident records. The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office covers unincorporated areas and runs the county jail. Both agencies report data to FDLE. So a statewide search will pick up arrests from either the city police or the county sheriff. For a complete background check in St. Petersburg, check both the clerk's court records and the law enforcement data.
How to Search Background Check Records
The Pinellas County Clerk has an online case search at mypinellasclerk.gov. Type in a name and you get a list of cases. Each listing shows the case type, charges, filing date, and status. Criminal cases include disposition info when the case is closed. This covers all of Pinellas County, including St. Petersburg. The search is free.
For statewide coverage, go to FDLE's CCHInet portal. Submit a name-based search for $24. Results come by email, usually within a day. This checks the state criminal history database, which has records from every county in Florida. So one search covers St. Petersburg and the entire state at the same time.
Official records like liens, judgments, and property filings are on MyFloridaCounty. These can round out a background check by showing financial-related legal actions that may not show up in the case search.
- Pinellas Clerk online search: free
- FDLE name-based check: $24
- MyFloridaCounty records: free to search
- Certified copies from clerk: $1.00 per page
- Plain copies: $0.15 per page
FDLE Criminal History for St. Petersburg
FDLE maintains the Florida criminal history database. Records from St. Petersburg flow into this system through the Pinellas County courts and local law enforcement. A Level 1 name-based search costs $24. Submit it online at CCHInet. Level 2 checks use fingerprints and search both state and FBI databases.
St. Petersburg and the Clearwater area have several LiveScan providers for fingerprint-based background checks. Find providers through the Florida Health Source directory. Level 2 checks are required for certain licenses under Chapter 435 of Florida Statutes.
The FDLE database has arrests, charges, convictions, and other case outcomes from the Pinellas County system. It also has data from the state attorney, corrections department, and other agencies. This makes it a more thorough source than searching the clerk alone for a St. Petersburg background check.
Public Records in St. Petersburg
Florida's Sunshine Law gives broad access to public records. Under Chapter 119, anyone can request records from the Pinellas County Clerk. You do not have to live in St. Petersburg. You do not need to give a reason. Sealed, expunged, and juvenile records are exempt. Active investigations may also be withheld temporarily. Everything else is open.
If an agency refuses your request or charges too much, the Attorney General's Open Government office can help. They handle disputes about public records access in Florida, including cases in St. Petersburg and Pinellas County.
Getting Copies of Records
Go to the Pinellas County Clerk at 315 Court St in Clearwater. Ask for the record by name or case number. Plain copies cost $0.15 per page. Certified copies are $1.00 per page. You can also call (727) 464-3341 to ask about mail-in requests. For FDLE records, order online at CCHInet for $24.
The Florida Clerks directory lists all clerk offices in the state. If you need records from a county other than Pinellas, that site can point you in the right direction.
Pinellas County Background Check Records
St. Petersburg is in Pinellas County, and all court filings and criminal records go through the Pinellas County Clerk of Court in Clearwater. For the full county page with more on search options, fees, and resources, visit the Pinellas County background check page.
Nearby Cities
Tampa is the nearest large city with its own background check page. It is across Tampa Bay in Hillsborough County.